Illan Meslier has completed his medical and signed his contract ahead of the confirmation of his free transfer move to Arsenal, according to reports.
James McNicholas of The Athletic broke the news on Tuesday that Arsenal are set to sign Illan Meslier on a free transfer, with the former Leeds United goalkeeper leaving his old club at the expiry of his contract in June.
Sami Mokbel of the BBC then reported that Meslier was at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground on Tuesday to finalise the details of his move and to hold a medical.
Mokbel added that Meslier would initially arrive as the third-choice goalkeeper behind David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga, but that he could be promoted to second choice if Kepa leaves. Tommy Setford is set to leave on loan.
Fabrizio Romano has since reported on Wednesday morning that Meslier has completed his medical and signed his contract, agreeing to join Arsenal as a free agent.
Romano confirms that Kepa’s future is open, so it’s not clear whether Meslier will be Arsenal’s second or third-choice goalkeeper.
Kepa is reportedly drawing interest from clubs in Spain and Italy, with the 31-year-old free to leave north London if his £5m release clause is activated. The clause is identical to the one the Gunners activated to sign him from Chelsea in the first place.
French goalkeeper Meslier made 215 appearances for Leeds and was a nailed-on starter for a long time, but he fell out of favour towards the end of 2024/25.
First, he dropped to the bench in April 2025. Then he dropped out of the squad completely for the majority of 2025/26. Leeds preferred Lucas Perri at the start of the season, then Karl Darlow won their starting spot for the second half of the campaign.
Meslier will hope for more opportunities and a fresh start at Arsenal, but he’ll likely begin the season in a similar position in the pecking order to the end of his time at Leeds.
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